Behind the Clouds
by Holchan
Summary: Being in love with Hibari Kyoya was never going to be easy. When the person you love never has time for you, what can you do? Why should you stay? What happens when someone else wants to give you more? Hibari/OC. Sequel to To Close for Comfort.


**Hi everyone! I'm back after a long time away from fanfiction, though can't guarantee I'm here to stay... I had new inspiration for this story and wanted to get back into writing again. ****This story is a sequel to my first fanfiction Too Close for Comfort.**** However, I feel like i've matured a lot both as a writer and person since then and there are a lot of things I don't like about that so 'sequel' needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. I've reworked Sayuki's character a bit, and changed some relationships. The ages are slightly different and not everything will accurately follow on from the last story... but having said that these things won't be blindingly obvious. So if you haven't done so already I suggest you read my other story first (though cut me a bit of slack because it was my first one!) Anyway I'm glad to be back writing again and without further ado...**

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**BEHIND THE CLOUDS – A Katekyo Hitman Reborn fanfiction**

Sequel to _To Close for Comfort_

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**Chapter 1: E 'l'estate**

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I had an extra little skip in my step as I walked home from college. The day had been the same as any other; I began lectures 9am sharp and was finally able to let up concentration at 5 when the day ended. But there was one key difference; this day was the last day of term and the beginning of the summer holiday. After a difficult final term of exams, coursework and strict deadlines, my nose was ready to be relieved from the grindstone. The glowing sun that before taunted me as I was trapped inside studying now embraced me, summoning me to the amazing holiday I knew I was going to have. I loved the summer. The warmth, the clothes, being able to stroll comfortably in a t-shirt in the evenings. The food and fruit in season, the beckoning beach, the nature that seemed to come to life. The rainy season had ended early this year, doubling the difficulty of hiding in behind a wall of books instead of frolicking through the sea and sand. I swung my bag in hand back and forth joyfully as I skipped down the road, smiling at the fully blooming trees and flowers. I had plans for this summer. Big plans. It was 8 full weeks that I would be able to spend interruption-free with the man I loved.

We were going travelling. A quiet scenic cottage in the north of England, a mountain lodge on the edge of Spain, a chalet on a small beach in Italy. All away from excessively crowded tourist areas – he insisted on it – but all beautiful and wonderful locations for a relaxing holiday. Normally I would head home after college finished. Normally I'd only have the chance to see him on weekends, so weekday evenings would be reserved for family. But today was the beginning of summer; I wanted it to begin immediately and it would all begin the moment I saw him. As I turned onto the road that lead to his house I decided not to call; I wanted to surprise him.

Hibari's house was a small, two level detached property. A long path lined regimentally with flowers stretched from the front door to a tightly bolted gate. Green vines wound their way neatly up the brickwork on the side of the house, stopping short of the curtained windows on the second floor. As far as I knew he lived alone – and he had done for as long as I'd known him. I never asked about his parents or other family; it never seemed appropriate. All I knew was that the sight of the little house calmed me and filled me with joy simultaneously. I jumped the gate to save time undoing the latch, skipped up the path and knocked three times. The door swung open almost immediately, framing a tall man in a long, dark coat.

"H-" I stopped. The figure was not who I'd expected. "...Kusakabe-san?"

"Oh. Sayu-chan, hello." Kusakabe smiled, though seemed equally surprised to see me. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just here to see Kyoya... he is here isn't he?" I replied, unable to hide the confusion in my voice.

"Er... yes but..." I couldn't interpret the troubled look on the vice-chairman's face. "Look, do you want to come inside?"

I stepped through the threshold into the familiar hallway as he moved out of the way, my shoes making a hollow sound against the polished wooden floor.

"Kyoya?"

I walked further in, peering around the doorways.

"I see. Fine." I spun around to the sound of Hibari's cold tones. He emerged from the adjacent doorway, snapping his cellphone shut in an irritated manner. He walked purposefully towards the door, gracefully swinging his long black coat over his shoulders.

"Kyoya." I stepped in his path and he stopped abruptly, allowing the surprise to be visible on his features for only a moment. I registered the coat and the very ready-to-leave look he had about him. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Sayuki."

"Forgive me Kyou-san, but we need to go _now_." Kusakabe was standing impatiently in the doorway. It was only then that I noticed the smart black suitcases by his feet.

My smile faded. "Kyoya... where are you going?"

Hibari said nothing, instead reaching out and drawing me closer. His arms closed tightly around my waist and my torso touched against his. I melted at the strength of his embrace and the warmth of his touch. His hand slid across my cheek, the tips of his fingers catching the angular undercut of my jaw. My breathing slowed as I felt the tips of his dark hair tickled my face, before his lips made contact with my own. First gently, then infinitely stronger and more passionate. I kissed him back just as enthusiastically, my hands gripped together behind his neck. His hand migrated up to my hair as he pulled away ever so slowly, extending contact between our lips. I rested my forehead against his, studying his expression with a frown.

"When will you be back?"

I did not miss the troubled look that flitted across Hibari's face before he looked at me passively. His lips touched mine, anchoring for another kiss. I couldn't help lingering against his touch for a few seconds before pulling away. He was trying to distract me.

"You do know we're leaving for our holiday tomorrow?" I looked him hard in the face, futilely trying to stare him down. I willed him to agree, to reassure me that he knew and that he would without a doubt be back before early morning, that the suitcases he had packed were so he were ready for that.

He did not, for one second, look away. "I'll make it up to you." He said firmly, this time not allowing me to break this kiss that followed. "I love you."

I looked at him sadly, fiercely gripping his hand as though I wasn't going to let him leave. I was used to him cancelling and rearranging plans. I could just about handle not being able to see him during the week. He was a busy, important man, dedicated to what he did; and that was one of the reasons why I loved him. But this was different – he was cancelling on my whole summer, _our _whole summer together.

Hibari prised my hand off his with ease, planted one last furious kiss, and broke contact. The door slammed coldly behind him.

I was alone.

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"I'm home..." I mumbled half-heartedly as I stepped over the battered doormat and into the hall.

"Sayuu!" My elder brother sang as he emerged from the kitchen. "Welcome hooome!" He rugby-tackled me as I shrugged my coat off.

"Cut it out!" I snapped, though not truly angry. "No-one would guess you're 21, you child."

"No-one would guess you're 18, grandma." He retorted, slapping me with a tea-towel. "C'mon you're supposed to be excited; it's the first day of your summer holidays!"

As I followed him into the kitchen I was hit by the delicious smell of fried chicken fajitas and enchiladas with all the trimmings. "We made your favourite!" My father smiled and brandished a bowl of nachos in my face.

"I took a handful of the chips gratefully. "You made Mexican food Papa? But why?"

"Well since you're going away on holiday with your friends tomorrow, we thought we'd have a nice family dinner together before you go."

I winced with guilt at the word 'friends'. They didn't know about Hibari.

Of course, it wasn't that I didn't trust them. I would never usually lie; I would normally be able to tell them anything. My father was delightfully naive and would probably happily accept the idea of me having a boyfriend, but my brother wouldn't. And my brother had met Hibari; he had attended Namimori middle and felt the wrath of the prefect chairman. Kaito would regard Hibari as a dangerous man, a bad influence, one who would take advantage and only hurt me. I knew with all my heart that that wasn't true but Kaito would never believe it. He would only have to mention it to my father and the two would immediately side against me. Not to mention Hibari's ties to the Vongola – it would be a lot safer and easier if they simply didn't know. However, this often made things difficult when I wanted to see him and, in this case, spend my entire holiday with him. I'd told them I was going with college friends, two girls; a story that they ate up surprisingly easily. But none of it mattered now.

"I'm not going anymore." I murmured glumly.

"What? Why not?"

"My... friends... can't go anymore. They have other commitments that they can't avoid." I spoke with a note of bitterness in my voice.

"But you've been looking forward to this all summer!"

"I know."

"Can't you go on your own?" Kaito suggested, but I could tell he knew his suggestion wasn't a very good one.

"You could go with one of your other friends? What's Takeshi doing? Or Sawada-kun?" My father piped up.

I sighed. Tsuna was always very occupied now he had fully taken over the Vongola family. As were the others. Of course, I wasn't allowed to know what they spent their time doing. "They're all busy until the end of the summer. I could see them then but I don't know what I'm going to do for the first 6 weeks."

"What about that tall blonde chap? The one who said you're always welcome to visit him in... Italy was it?"

"You mean Dino?" I considered thoughtfully, not missing Kaito's disapproving look. "I would love that, but..." There was no point in kidding myself. "The tickets are too expensive. Especially at this time of year, we can't afford it."

We had never been poor, but we weren't rich and we weren't particularly well off. We had enough to live comfortably from my father's job but we got by without many luxuries. A plane ticket so far was definitely a luxury to us; one that wasn't quite within our reach. Our holidays were usually modest and close by. As for the holiday I was supposed to be having with Hibari, I apparently didn't need to worry about the tickets. Hibari said he'd take care of them. I didn't like to ask.

"I'm sorry Sayu..."

"It's fine. I'll find something else to do this summer, I'm sure it'll be great."

I forced a smile as I dug into the food. They were trying so hard, it was the least I could to do be cheerful. Spending the summer at home with family surely wouldn't be that bad.

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Lying stomach-down on my bed with my laptop in front of me, I was googling summer jobs without much luck. Besides, it wasn't really the way I wanted to spend the 8 weeks. I sighed in defeat and switched tact, typing the words 'beach', 'holiday' and 'France', just to gaze longingly at the beautiful pictures.

"Sayu?" Kaito knocked lightly on the door as he entered. I quickly minimised the windows I'd been searching.

"What is it?" I snapped the laptop shut, swinging my legs over the side of the bed and examined Katio's expression. I quickly deduced that he was hiding something; he was always easy to read. "What? What have you done?"

He grinned, unable to hold the secret any longer. "Well, you know how we thought we couldn't afford a flight to Italy?"

"...Yes?" He was holding something behind his back. My eyes widened. "Kaito... you didn't?" I made a grab for what he was holding, but he dodged my lunge easily and waved the item in my face. "Kaito you didn't!" I snatched it from his hands.

_**Air Italy. Passenger ticket**__. __**FROM**__ Japan (JP) __**TO**__ Italy (IT)_

_**SURNAME **__Kikuchi __**NAME **__Sayuki_

It was a plane ticket. To Italy. Dated for tomorrow. I yelped, jumping up off the bed and hugging my brother with a flying leap. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Kaito pushed me off him but laughed and grinned. "No problem little sis."

"But... how did you get the ticket?" I slowed, logical thought seeping some of the excitement away. "How did you afford it?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I had a bit of money that I've been saving tucked away. I just chipped in a bit with papa and we got it together. It's no big deal."

"But... your savings?" I was overwhelmed that they had done something so kind for me. They could have used the money for other things, but instead wanted to ensure I had an enjoyable summer. I felt a surge of guilt. I'd been lying to them all this time... sneaking around behind their backs. It wasn't hurting them but I wasn't being honest and they were trying so hard to make sure what wanted. I pushed the thought to the back of my mind.

I kissed Kaito on the cheek gratefully. "How can I ever thank you?"

"Eurgh." He recoiled in mock disgust. "Look, you can repay me by going there and having as much fun as you can, ok?"

"Ok!" I grinned. "But... wait." A flaw in the plan suddenly dawned on me. "The flight leaves tomorrow and... I haven't asked Dino if it's ok for me to stay yet..."

Kaito sniggered as he left. "Well you'd better do that now or you'll be sleeping on the streets in your suitcase!"

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"Ladies and Gentlemen, _Benvenuti in Italia_!" The flight attendant addressed the plane as we touched down. The wheels of the aircraft made contact with the runway with a slight thump, bouncing me in my seat. "The weather is wonderfully sunny with clear skies, and a temperature of 26 degrees."

"Grazie." I smiled sweetly as the passport control officer – a podgy woman with a poker-straight bob haircut – checked my identification and handed the document back to me. She raised her eyebrows a little at my poor accent. It suddenly occurred to me that that was as far as my knowledge of the Italian language went. I'd have to work on that.

It seemed to be my lucky day; my baggage was the first out on the carousel. I hauled the suitcase off the conveyor and let it trundle behind me as I made my way through the arrivals gate. My eyes scanned the crowd waiting for loved ones and acquaintances. Dino had been kind enough to offer transport from the airport to the place I'd be staying – was he meeting me here? I suddenly noticed a small paper sign printed with the name _Kikuchi Sayuki_ in bold black letters. It was held by a staunch man in a crisp black suit and dark, reflective sunglasses. His hair had been trimmed within an inch (or centimetre) of its life, leaving uniform fuzz over his head. Was this man escorting me? I couldn't see any other way I was leaving the airport so I marched up to him.

"Um... I'm Sayuki."

The olive skinned man grinned at my words, exposing gleaming white teeth. "Ah! _Mia bellezza_! How wonderful to meet you. My name, _mio__nome_ is Angelo – I am one of Mr. Dino's faithful henchmen." He spoke with a heavy Italian accent that was rather charming. "I am here to escort you to _Palazzo di Dino. _Are you ready to go?_" _

I was taken with the friendly young man immediately; Dino sure did pick his henchmen well.

"Erm I think so! Lead the way Angelo!"

"Sì!" Angelo took up my heavy suitcase with ease, striding towards the exit. I skipped behind, following him through the revolving doors and into the sunshine. I blanched as he stopped by a glossy black mercedes parked mere feet from the entrance. "Your carriage awaits _mia bellezza._" He grinned, holding a door open for me.

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**R&R appreciated =)**AhA


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